COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Following its second and final open date of the season, the Maryland football team welcomes Syracuse to Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium for a 3:33 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. It is Maryland’s first meeting against Syracuse as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Terps and Orange have met a total of 34 times, but have not played each other since 1994, a 21-16 Syracuse victory at the Carrier Dome. The Orange have won four straight in the series. The Terps last win at home against the Orange came on Oct. 8, 1983, by the score of 34-13.

LIVE Coverage on Comcast SportsNet & the Terrapin Sports Radio Network
• Saturday’s game will be broadcast locally on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic at 3:30 p.m. Wes Durham (pbp), Brian Stann (color) and Jenn Hildreth (sideline) will call the action. It can also be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network – Johnny Holliday (pbp), Tim Strachan (color) and Scott McBrien (sideline) have the call. The game can also be heard on Sirius Radio Channel 82 and XM Radio Channel 196, as well as over the internet at www.umterps.com.

Military Appreciation Day

The Terps matchup with Syracuse on Saturday will serve as Maryland’s Military Appreciation Game. All military personnel that present their military ID at the gate can purchase tickets for $10.

In addition, several in-game ceremonies are scheduled to recognize members of the military.

First-and-10

• Last time out, the Terps fell to eighth-ranked Clemson 40-27. Maryland got within three points of the Tigers at 16-13 early in the third quarter before Clemson scored 17 straight points to pull away. Starting in place of the injured C.J. Brown, quarterback Caleb Rowe threw for 287 yards and a career-best three touchdown passes. Rowe’s first scoring pass of the game went for 71 yards to wide receiver Levern Jacobs. The 71-yard catch-and-run is Maryland’s longest scoring play of the season and is the Terps’ longest touchdown reception since Sept. 18, 2010, when Jamarr Robinson hooked up with Torrey Smith at West Virginia for an 80-yard score. In addition, it is the second time in as many games Rowe completed a touchdown pass to Jacobs for over 50 yards. A week before at Wake Forest (10/19), Rowe found Jacobs over the middle for a 56-yard touchdown.

• Jacobs’ touchdown propelled the wideout to a career day and continued a big-play trend for the Terrapin offense. The sophomore from Temple Hills, Md., had a career-high eight receptions for a personal-best 158 yards, which is the second-best yardage total for a Terrapin receiver this season. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs had 179 yards receiving against Old Dominion (9/7). Jacobs’ 19.8 yards per reception average led the team as the Terps’ averaged 14.4 yards per completion for the game. The Terps are averaging 14.9 yards per completion for the season, a mark which ranks fourth in the ACC and 10th nationally. For the year, the Terps are averaging 281.4 yards passing per game, which ranks fourth in the conference.

• .After not generating a turnover in the previous three games, Maryland turned Clemson over three times (two fumble recoveries, one interception) to increase its season total to 16, which is tied for the fourth highest total in the league, and the unit’s seven fumble recoveries is tied for the third highest total in the ACC. Linebacker Matt Robinson forced one fumble and recovered another. Defensive back Isaac Goins picked off his second pass of the season and in four conference games has three pass breakups and an interception to average 1.00 pass defensed per game, which ranks 10th in the ACC.

• .After totaling 17 sacks in the season’s first four games, the Terps were held to just two in their previous three games before getting back on track against the Tigers. Maryland tallied four sacks including career-firsts for linebackers Yannick Ngakoue and Shawn Petty. Linebacker Marcus Whitfield added one sack to increase his team-high total to 7.5. His season total is tied for ninth nationally. In addition, Maryland tied a season high with nine tackles for loss against the Tigers with Ngakoue recording a team-high three. The Terps are averaging 7.9 per game, which ranks second in the ACC and is tied for 10th nationally.

• .Linebacker Cole Farrand turned in one of the best defensive performances in Maryland history against Clemson. Farrand finished with a career-high 23 tackles, which is an ACC single-game high this season and the second most in a single game nationally. The last Maryland player to top Farrand’s 23 was Scott Rosen on Oct. 27, 1990. Rosen finished with 30 tackles at North Carolina.

• Place kicker Brad Craddock converted two field goals both from 41 yards out against the Tigers. Craddock is now 15-for-18 this season and 14-for-15 from under 50 yards. Craddock is averaging 1.88 field goals per game, which ranks second in the ACC and seventh nationally. The sophomore was named as one of the 20 Lou Groza Award semifinalists this week.

Quick Hitters From Clemson

• Linebacker Cole Farrand recorded a career-best 23 tackles. It is the most tackles recorded by a Maryland player since Scott Rosen had 30 tackles at North Carolina on Oct. 27, 1990.

• Farrand’s 23 tackles are the highest single-game total in the ACC this season and the second highest single-game total nationally (FBS and FCS). Since the 2008 season, Farrand’s total is tied for the fifth most in a single game nationally (FBS).

• Maryland held Clemson to three touchdowns on seven redzone opportunities including holding the Tigers to three field goals on four redzone trips in the first half. The Terps lead the ACC in holding opponents to field goals inside the redzone. Maryland has held opponents to 18 touchdowns on 30 opportunities in the redzone.

• The Terps have two of the top-10 quarterbacks in the ACC in terms of passing efficiency after Caleb Rowe made his second start of the season against the Tigers. C.J. Brown ranks fourth with an efficiency rating of 153.4 and Rowe is ninth with a rating of 120.3.

• Wide receiver Levern Jacobs had a career-high 158 yards receiving on a career-best eight receptions, which is the ninth highest single-game receiving total in the ACC this season. In addition, his receiving total is the 10th highest single-game receiving total since 2000 at Maryland. Over that span, Torrey Smith has the highest mark, 224 yards against NC State on Nov. 27, 2010.

• With his 153 receiving yards, Jacobs became the third Terrapin receiver to go over 100 yards this season joiningStefon Diggs (179, Old Dominion; 110, Connecticut) and Deon Long (110, FIU).

• With 287 yards through the air, Maryland now has 2,251 passing yards and is averaging 281.4 yards per game. The Terps are on pace to average 3,376.8 passing yards this season, which would be the most since the 1993 season when Maryland passed for a school record 3,823 yards.

• Overall, the Terps are averaging 431.0 yards of total offense. That mark is the highest per game average since 2001 when the Terps averaged 439.7 yards per game.

• Three Terps set career highs against the Tigers. Running back Albert Reid finished with a career-high 70 yards rushing to lead the Terps on the ground. Wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo caught his first career touchdown pass andNigel King finished with career bests in receptions (5) and receiving yards (76).

• The Terps totaled four sacks against the Tigers increasing their season total to 23, a mark that is tied for fourth in the conference. It was Maryland’s fifth multi-sack game of the season and linebackers Yannick Ngakoue and Shawn Petty record their first career sacks.

• Linebacker Marcus Whitfield picked up his 7.5 sack against Clemson. Whitfield is a 0.5 sack shy of tying for 15th all-time in a single season at Maryland. In addition, his 7.5 sacks is the most by a Terrapin since Shawne Merriman had 8.5 in 2004.

• Whitfield also finished with two tackles for loss increasing his team-high total to 11.5, the fifth-best total in the ACC. His 11.5 TFL has cost opponents 94 yards, which is tied with Mark Duda for the fourth most in a single season in school history. He is seven yards shy of tying Martin Van Horn for third.

• As a team, the Terps tied a season high with nine TFL against Clemson. Maryland is averaging 7.9 TFL per game, which ranks second in the ACC and is tied for 10th nationally. The team’s average is the highest for a Terrapin defense since 2001. That season, the Terps averaged 9.2 per game.

• Place kicker Brad Craddock converted two field goals both from 41 yards and is now 15-for-18 this season and is 14-for-15 from under 50 yards. The Lou Groza Award semifinalist is averaging 1.88 field goals per game this season, which ranks second in the ACC and seventh nationally.

• Craddock ranks fourth all-time at Maryland currently with an 83.3 percent single-season field goal percentage and his 15 made field goals is tied for the 15th-highest total in a single season.

Maryland Gameday Notes

Scout Team Players of the Week: Each Thursday during the season Edsall will announce the scout team players of the week. This week’s scout team players of the week are offensive lineman Dylan O’Connor (offense), defensive back Elvis Dennah (defense), and linebacker Jermaine Carter, Jr. (special teams).

Flag Bearers: Running back William Likely will carry the American flag, and running back Kenneth Goins, Jr., will carry the Maryland flag during Saturday’s introductions.

Game Captains: With the establishment of the leadship council for this season, Edsall will name game captains prior to each contest. The captains for the Syracuse game are offensive lineman Ryan Doyle (offense), linebacker Matt Robinson (defense), and long snapper Greg Parcher (special teams).

Maryland-Syracuse Series History

• The Terps and Orange are set for their 35th all-time meeting, but first since 1994 and first as members of the ACC. Maryland trails the series 14-18-2 with the Orange winning the last four. (1987, 1988, 1991, 1994).

• The Terps are 5-9-1 all-time against the Orange at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium with their last home win coming in 1983 by a 34-14 score.

• Maryland’s last win in the series was in 1985 at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Terps won that matchup 35-18.

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“It is good to get back out to playing again this week, after having last week off. We got a chance to work on some things and get some guys back in the fold. We’ll see how the rest of the guys do this week with practice and we’ll see where we are with these injuries coming back. We’re playing a very hard nose and physical football team. We have to be ready to stop the running game on defense and handle their quarterback, Terrel Hunt, who is getting better at running the plays. They have an aggressive, attacking and blitzing defense that we’re going to go up against on Saturday. We need to make sure that we have a good week of preparing and understanding all of the things that we could see and will see. We have to make sure we go out and don’t turn the ball over, so we can give ourselves an opportunity to win and make sure that we can get some turnovers to help us win.”

On facing his alma mater:

“I have great feelings. I love the place. They gave me an opportunity to get my education and start my coaching career. I have very fond memories. I spent 15 years of my life playing and then coaching. I met my wife there and she got the better end of that deal. It’s always a place that will have a special place for me. All of the friends that I have from there are special. So, you just worry about what you’ve got to control in terms of getting ready to play the game this week. “

On the left tackle position with the departure of Mike Madaras:

“Moise [Larose] is at left tackle, [Ryan] Doyle is at right tackle, Jake Wheeler is the backup at left and Nick Klemm is the backup at right. I feel really good about it.

“Situations come up and you deal with him. Moise is the best guy to play that position for us, so he’s out there. I know that we’ll do a good job and he’s been working hard. He’ll give everything that he has and I’ve been impressed with him since he’s come in here. Sometimes people get pressed with things maybe a little bit quicker than they would like to, but that is part of the game. You’ve got to adapt and overcome those situations.”

On Syracuse:

“Watching them on tape, defensively they are very aggressive. They do a lot of blitzing and give you a lot of different looks. [Jay] Bromley has eight sacks. Their linebackers, Cameron Lynch,Marquis Spruill and Dyshawn Davis, are very active. Those guys run really well and the secondary is sound and solid. That’s the thing when you watch their defense. They put pressure on you and give you a lot of different looks. Offensively, they’ve made a change for the Wake Forest game and moved Ashton Broyld to the outside and brought in the young man, [Brisly Estime], to play in the slot. He caught some balls for them and had some good plays. They like to run the ball and a big thing that you’ve got to be able to do is stop the run. With their running backs, [Jerome] Smith and [Prince]-Tyson [Gulley], rushing for almost 200 yards a game. To add to that, I am extremely impressed with the videos I’ve been watching on Terrel Hunt.”

On earning their sixth win and gaining bowl eligibility:

“I told our kids. They know what they want to accomplish. They have the goals in mind of what we want to accomplish so they understand what’s there. I told them, we’re a 5-3 football team. Where we want to go is up to them. I thought we had some good practices last week and I thought Sunday they were focused. They know what’s on the line and now it’s up to them to go out and practice well this week and work to try to get the sixth win this week.”

On the health of quarterback C.J. Brown:

“He practiced last week, and hopefully barring any setback or anything this week, he’ll be good. As far as that, it’s the depth chart, that from a health stand point, it was there before as a health stand point, but now the doctors and the trainers and all them, watching him do the things, he was good. Now we just feel that’s the way it will turn out this week too.”

On place kicker Brad Craddock:

“Well, I think Brad is a great role model for everybody on our team. You see that he’s a semifinalist for the Lou Groza award this year. And you take a look at the year he had a year ago, and then to see the amount of work that he put into getting better and wanting to improve himself and never complaining or having a bad attitude, all he did was go out and work his tail off, was motivated and worked on his craft to put him in that position.”

– Maryland –

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Maryland football team looks to earn its second Atlantic Coast Conference victory of the season when the Terps travel to Winston-Salem on Saturday for a 3:32 p.m. kickoff against Wake Forest at BB&T Field. The Terps bounced back from their defeat at Florida State to knock off Virginia, 27-26, on Saturday to improve to 5-1. With wins in five of its first six games, Maryland is off to its best start since the 2001 season, when the Terps won their first seven.

LIVE Coverage on the ESPNU & the Terrapin Sports Radio Network
• Saturday’s game will be broadcast on ESPNU at 3:30 p.m. Anish Shroff (pbp) and Kelly Stouffer (color) will call the action. It can also be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network – Johnny Holliday (pbp), Tim Strachan (color) and Scott McBrien (sideline) have the call. The game can also be heard on Sirius Radio Channel 134 and XM Radio Channel 193, as well as over the internet at www.umterps.com.

First-and-10

• Behind a career-best 332 yards from quarterback Caleb Rowe and a personal-best 169 all-purpose yards from running back Brandon Ross, the Terps totaled 468 yards of total offense. Maryland has gone over 450 yards of total offense in four of six games. Rowe completed 18-of-34 passes for 332 yards, the ninth-best passing performance in the ACC this season, and one touchdown, which gave the Terps the lead with 5:14 remaining in the game. Rowe capped the six-play, 69-yard drive by finding tight end Dave Stinebaugh in the end zone for the senior’s second career touchdown reception. On the game-winning drive, Rowe was 3-of-4 for 80 yards including a 47-yard completion to wide receiver Deon Long on third-and-22 from the Maryland 40-yard line.

• On the ground, Ross totaled 88 yards averaging 6.3 yards per carry and finished with two touchdowns. The sophomore running back also hauled in three passes for a career-best 81 yards including a 77-yard catch-and-run late in the first quarter to set up his first rushing score of the game. The 77-yard reception is the longest pass play for the Terps this season and is tied for the fifth-longest in the ACC. Ross ranks seventh in the ACC in rushing averaging 68.9 yards per game.

• Wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Deon Long combined for 10 of Rowe’s 18 completions. Diggs had a team-high six catches for 96 yards, while Long led the squad with 98 yards receiving on four catches. Diggs and Long have combined for 54 catches this season accounting for 51.9 percent of the Terps’ receptions. Diggs leads the team with 520 yards receiving and is averaging 86.7 yards per game, which ranks eighth in the ACC, with three touchdowns. Long has totaled 446 yards and one touchdown, and is averaging 74.3 yards per game.

• Defensively, the Terps held the Cavaliers to just six points off of three Maryland turnovers and held UVA to four field goals on six trips inside the redzone. After allowing Virginia to convert 45.4 percent (5-for-11) of its third downs in the first half, Maryland turned up the pressure in the second half and held the Cavs to 3-of-9 on third down in the second half.

• ACC Linebacker of the Week L.A. Goree recorded a game-high and career-best 16 tackles on Saturday. The 16 stops is the most by a Terp defender since Demetrius Hartsfield had 18 tackles at NC State on Nov. 26, 2011. Goree also finished with one tackle for loss. After recording a personal-best 10 tackles at Florida State, defensive backAnthony Nixon topped it with 12 tackles, nine solo, and a tackle for loss. Eight different Terps combined for eight tackles for loss led by linebacker Marcus Whitfield’s 1.5 TFL for seven yards. In the secondary, defensive back A.J. Hendy finished career-best two pass breakups.

• On special teams, Brad Craddock added two more field goals (36, 32) to his season total. He is now 12-of-14 on the season. He is averaging 2.00 field goals a game, which is tied for first in the conference and tied for third nationally, and his 85.7 percent conversion rate is tied for fourth in the ACC. Craddock has not missed a field goal attempt under 50 yards.

Quick Hitters

• Offensively, Maryland has shown the propencity to break a big play throughout the season. Against Virginia, the Terps had seven plays of 30 yards or more and have had at least one play of 30 yards or more in every game this season.

• The number of big plays has not been more evident than in the passing game. The Terps are averaging 15.58 yards per reception, a total that ranks ninth nationally. Since the 1980 season, no other Maryland team has averaged more yards per reception.

• Running back Brandon Ross’ 77-yard catch-and-run late in the first quarter on Saturday was the first of Maryland’s seven plays that went 30 or more yards. The reception was a career long for Ross and the Terps’ longest reception of the season. It is also tied for the fifth-longest pass play in the ACC.

• In addition, Ross’ sprint down the sidelines was the longest non-scoring reception by a Maryland player since Scott Milanovich hit Jermaine Lewis for 78 yards at North Carolina on Sept. 11, 1993.

• Ross finished with a career-best 169 all-purpose yards against UVA. The sophomore running back had 88 yards on the ground and 81 yards receiving. Ross is the first Maryland player to finish with 75 or more yards rushing and receiving in a game since LaMont Jordan rushed for 89 yards and had 86 yards receiving in a 17-14 win at Wake Forest on Oct. 9, 1999.

• Despite being ranked 14th in the ACC in redzone defense, the Terps have done a tremendous job of holding opponents to field goals inside the 20-yard line. Of Virginia’s six trips inside the 20 on Saturday, the Terps held the Cavaliers to just two touchdowns. Of the 19 redzone scores given up by Maryland this season, 11 have been touchdowns for a conversion rate of 57.9 percent, which is the second-best precentage in the conference behind Syracuse.

• Additionally, Maryland’s defense has done a great job of minimizing the impact of the Terps’ offensive turnovers. Maryland held Virginia to two field goals on three Terrapin fumbles. On the year, Maryland has only surrendered 33 points on 12 turnovers, a 2.75 points per TO average. In the last four games, the average drops to 1.78 with 16 points off of nine turnovers.

• Quarterback Caleb Rowe stepped in for the injured C.J. Brown and threw for a career-high 332 yards in Saturday’s victory over Virginia. It is the most passing yards by a Maryland quarterback this season and the ninth-best passing performance in the ACC.

• Rowe’s 332-yard performance is the most passing yards by a Terrapin quarterback since Danny O’Brien threw for 348 yards against Miami to open the 2011 season (Sept. 5, 2011).

Maryland Gameday Notes

Scout Team Players of the Week: Each Thursday during the season Edsall will announce the scout team players of the week. This week’s scout team players of the week are quarterback Dustin Dailey (offense), linebacker Jalen Brooks (defense), and linebacker Marc Rodriguez (special teams).

Flag Bearers: Running back Albert Reid will carry the American flag, and linebacker Marcus Whitfield will carry the Maryland flag during Saturday’s introductions.

Game Captains: With the establishment of the leadship council for this season, Edsall will name game captains prior to each contest. The captains for the Wake Forest game are wide receiver Deon Long (offense), linebackerCole Farrand (defense), and place kicker Brad Craddock (special teams).

Maryland-Wake Forest Series History

• Saturday marks the 62nd meeting between the Demon Deacons and the Terps in a series that began in 1917.

• Maryland and Wake Forest have met every year since 1971 with the Terps holding a 43-17-1 advantage all-time. Maryland won last season’s meeting in College Park, 19-14.

• The home team has won the last six meetings in the series. Maryland’s last win in Winston-Salem came in 2005, a 22-12 win.

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“He’s definitely eager. When you get a starter back into the system it’s good. We’re very grateful Caleb Rowe was able to come in and manage a way to get us a win, but C.J. is the leader of our offense and having him back brings a sense of calmness and normalcy back. So we’re excited to have him back and he’s definitely excited to have the opportunity to get back out there and try to get us back on track offensively.”

On the identity of the offense:

“I’ve said before our offense is very flexible. You can identify it as very multiple, so we can shape it to fit whoever is back there. So it’s not necessarily the ‘it factor,’ but I think for us having him back is consistency. Obviously, we need to be more efficient to sustain more drives, which we didn’t do last week even though we were able to get back on track and get a few big plays in there, but for us to be the offense we want to be we need to be more consistent.”

On utilizing the athletic ability of the team’s wide receivers in one-on-one situations:

“That’s something we’ve talked about in practice and try to get accomplished. When you have guys like Stefon Diggs, Deon Long, and even Nigel King and Levern Jacobs out on the perimeter, when you get one-on-one opportunities to go up and make plays in the air, we’ve missed some big throws where I don’t think the quarterbacks necessarily gave us the greatest opportunity to go up and make a play when we’ve had man coverage. I thought last week we were able to make a few of those plays and obviously anytime we get one-on-one coverage with the skill set that we have on the outside if you put the ball in a place where they can go up and make a play those guys have tendency to come down with the ball.”

On the quarterbacks gaining confidence to challenge defenses in one-on-one situations with the wide receivers:

“I don’t think that it necessarily gives them confidence because I think they definitely have had confidence in those guys. I think for us it’s a matter of putting the right kind of ball up in the air, and understanding that because of what they’ve done and the speed that they have that throwing it down the field you’ll see a lot more of what we call over the top coverage and for that they’ve got to adjust what kind of ball to throw. Instead of throwing it down the field they need to throw it behind the receiver so that they can come back to where he has an advantage. I think what we’ve been doing is putting too much air under the ball and throwing and leading the receiver down the field that the off coverage is running on top of it. I thought that we made a few underthrows last week. Stefon Diggs’ catch was an underthrow. Deon Long’s catch on the sideline was an underthrow and I think they are starting to understand that the leverage of the defender dictates what kind of ball that they have to throw.”

On the challenges Wake Forest presents:

“I think number one, they are a better squad [compared to last season]. When you look across the board, you see all the redshirt seniors, redshirt juniors, and guys that have 30 starts, 28 starts. They’re a very veteran squad. And it just seems like when Wake has veteran guys they play smart, they play hard and they very rarely make mistakes. So we have to be consistent offensively and execute at a higher level, at a way higher level. As I showed the offense this past week, we still are leaving so many plays on the field because we aren’t executing, not being in the right place, not reading the gaps correctly, misreading pass routes. Everybody is playing a role, so when you play veteran teams and smart teams like Wake they are not going to make a lot of mistakes where guys are just going to be wide open. We’re going to have to make our own chances, and you do that by executing at a high level.”

Defensive Coordinator Brian Stewart

On the injury to linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil:

“Any time you have a guy who has been very productive, and has been a good, solid player for you, when he goes down there’s always going to be the question of who is going to be the next one up. I think the guys behind him, as well as Coach [Lyndon] Johnson, have done a good job just keeping everybody prepared during practice, doing what they are supposed to be doing, so when they have to go in the game they are able to go in the game and contribute. That way we won’t have the same player, but we should still have the same production.”

On the younger players stepping up:

“All of them have to step up now. You’ve got Cavon Walker. You’ve got Yannick Ngakoue, and both of those guys came in with a good football IQ and now we are putting that football IQ to the test. They came in prepared and they were well coached at Friendship [Collegiate] and it showed, so now it is about seeing that stuff on tape, for us.”

On what he saw from linebackers Cavon Walker and Yannick Ngakoue in the Virginia game:

“I saw great effort. I saw guys feeling their way and get getting better each play.”

On creating more turnovers:

“That’s a big attitude thing. You go to practice every day and try to tell the defensive backs and the linebackers to try to attack the ball in the air as well as the ball carrier, and tell the defensive line to try to strip the ball. It comes in spurts. Sometimes you get a lot of sacks and a lot of interceptions. The score of the game is also a big dictator of that. If you get a team that is one-dimensional and they have to throw the ball because they are behind, now you have a chance for everybody to chase the quarterback and that’s where you get the sacks and the fumbles and the interceptions. We are still doing the same thing we have been doing, but just the past few weeks we haven’t been in a position where the score dictates a situation where that can happen.”

On fixing mistakes from the Virginia game:

“All of those things are fixable. We have not played the way we want to play for the past two weeks. That’s obvious. The main thing we are doing now is making sure we are better on third downs, better against the run, and I think everything else will take care of itself after we do those things. I think we did a tremendous job being able to hold people to field goals on the 13-yard line, which is a great testament to those kids.”

On Wake Forest wide receiver Mike Campanaro:

“That is there go-to guy, and we know they are going to go to him. We have somebody at practice who is mimicking him and we have to make sure we know where he is and understand what he is going to do out of different formations and then play football. He is one of their best players, as well as their quarterback Tanner Price. Both of those guys are playing well, so we have to make sure we do what we can to make sure we can match what they are doing with what we are doing.”

“Game number seven this week takes us down to Winston-Salem to play Wake Forest, a team that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. [Head coach] Jim Grobe is an outstanding football coach and person. We’ve got to make sure that we have a good week at preparation and have good focus. We need to listen to detail this week to give ourselves the opportunity to go down there and win. We look forward to the opportunity, but know that we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us to get done.”

On becoming bowl eligible with a win:

“It is no different than game one. We look at the season in its entirety. We don’t look at only five, seven, or two games. We look at each game separately and what we have our focus on is to get the win. If we get the win, we put it in the bank and let it draw interest. Hopefully at the end of the 12, we’ve put enough wins in the bank to achieve the goals that we’ve set for ourselves. That’s really our only focus. It is to go out and play better this week, get a win, and try to make sure we do everything we can to do that. It will be no different this week then it has been for all the other weeks so far. “

“When you take a look at the Wake Forest offense, those are the two guys that you’ve got to stop. Price is playing really well this year for them. He is throwing the ball extremely well. He’s also a threat when it comes to running the ball. He gets back there and he is elusive. They’ll run some zone-read with him, but also he’s a guy that has very good escape ability. So you’ve got to be disciplined in terms of your rush lanes. I’m very impressed with what he’s doing and how he’s playing.

“Michael Campanaro didn’t play against us last year because he was hurt. That guy is a playmaker for them. They always look to get him the ball in every situation that they can. He’s having an outstanding season so far this year. He has 44 catches already this year. He’s a guy that can beat you underneath with his speed, can beat you deep and is a good punt returner. I have a lot of respect for him and how he plays the game. I respect how competitive and talented that he is. He’s somebody that we have to be concerned with because he’s got the ability to make big plays for them.”

On points of emphasis in practice based off of the turnovers and penalties from Saturday:

“We only had one turnover on offense and that was a situation where we had a young man that wanted to make something happen instead of just playing the situation. If he just would have played the situation, that wouldn’t happen. Will [Likely] just has to understand the difference between fair catching and when you have time to just make the catch. The other one, I don’t know what you do. You’re running down and it’s a short kick. We’ve got to try to get down closer and make sure the ball isn’t getting away. I think we need to practice those things, but sometimes things happen. We’ve got to do a better job at just securing the football. I think one of the other issues is that we’ve got to get some turnovers. That’s the other thing we haven’t done in the last two ball games. We haven’t gotten many turnovers and we haven’t taken possessions away from the other team. That is something that we’ve got to do.

“As for the penalties, a lot of that is not using good technique and not being good fundamentally. Those are things that we will address and always like to address. We don’t like to do things that put us in a situation that puts us behind the chains or allows the team to gain field position on us. So we’ve got to have a little bit more attention to gain more detail, so we can focus on the little things. If we do that, then I think we’ll eliminate some of those costly penalties that we have had. That can eliminate the turnovers. We just have to be better in understanding situations so those things don’t occur in critical times.”

On linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil:

“It’s tough because you feel bad for anybody when they get an injury, a season-ending injury, but especially for a guy like Yannik. I mean that guy just works his tail off each and every day to be the best he can be and he gives great effort in the classroom, gives it in the weight room, gives it on the practice field and was playing well. You feel for him, you really do. But it’s one of those situations where in this game, there’s no guarantees that you’ll stay healthy for 12 games, you hope you do. That’ll hurt us. He was having a good year, but now what happens is other guys have to step up. Yannick Ngakoue, he’s got to step up to the level that Cudjoe was playing and that’s just the nature of the business. But like I said, I feel bad for him because he optimizes everything that I know I want to see in a football student- athlete here at Maryland.”

On linebacker Yannick Ngakoue’s readiness to assume a larger role in the defense:

“The good thing with Yannick, he came out of a very good program at Friendship Collegiate Academy and he understood the work ethic and he was strong when he got here. Again, the fundamentals and the techniques that we teach are a little bit different, which is always understandable and plus the complexity of how much meeting time and all those sorts of things. He came in prepared as well he could be prepared for the situation and then he’s learning. He’s still got a good learning curve to go, but the thing that I like is everyday he’s out there working hard and he’s getting better, and that’s all you can ask for.”

On the status of quarterback C.J. Brown:

“Last week, C.J. went through a whole battery of tests each day, which is the protocol that we have here for concussions. As long as you pass the one test then you move to the next one and that’s what he did. Part of the process was to put him out there and let him go through warm-ups [on Saturday] because that was still part of the process and he was cleared to go on Sunday. He practiced Sunday. He’s cleared; he’s the starter for us this week. He’ll practice full every day. He’s ready to go. One of the big things last week is C.J. probably thought he was ready to go, but again, he wasn’t cleared and he didn’t practice at all until he did some things later Friday and he did some individual on Saturday, did the things there pregame. He’s good to go, he’s cleared and he’s the starter.”

On linebacker L.A. Goree:
“I think L.A. is having a really good year for us. It’s great to see him get the recognition this week for his play a week ago. I think he’s really become more of a student of the game and understanding his role and how his role revolves within our defense, but again I’ve liked the progression he’s made in the last three years and I think he’s still going to get better. He’s a guy that really wants to do well, he’s not afraid of hard work, he’s physical. But again, I think the same thing; he’ll just continue to get better as he continues to hone his techniques and continues to get better from a fundamentals standpoint.”

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Coming off its first bye week of the season, the Maryland football team opens its Atlantic Coast Conference slate in Tallahassee against the eighth-ranked Florida State Seminoles Saturday from Doak S. Campbell Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 12:01 p.m. The Terps are riding a four-game winning streak and are off to their best start since the 2001 season when they won their first seven games en route to the ACC Championship. On Sunday, Maryland debuted in the The Associated Press Top 25 Poll at No. 25 making its first first appearance in the rankings since finishing 23rd in the final poll of the 2010 season.

LIVE Coverage on the ESPN & the Terrapin Sports Radio Network
• Saturday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN at noon. Dave Pasch (pbp). Brian Griese (color) and Tom Luginbill (sideline) will call the action. It can also be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network – Johnny Holliday (pbp), Tim Strachan (color) and Scott McBrien (sideline) have the call. The game can also be heard on Sirius Radio Channel 91 and XM Radio Channel 91, as well as over the internet at www.umterps.com.

First-and-10

• Maryland’s defense stifled the Mountaineers at a rain-soaked M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Terps held WVU’s offense to 175 total yards, the lowest output by a West Virginia team since the Terps held WVU to 156 total yards in a 34-7 victory in College Park on Sept. 20, 2003. It is the second time this season Maryland has held an opponent under 200 yards of total offense (FIU, 8/31; 171 yards) and the first time the Terps held an opponent scoreless since beating Wake Forest, 26-0, on Oct. 18, 2008. In the win, Maryland forced six West Virginia turnovers, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions, the most created by the Terps since turning Georgia Tech over six times in a 20-17 overtime win in Atlanta on Oct. 11, 2001.

• With starting defensive backs Jeremiah Johnson and Dexter McDougle sidelined due to injury, defensive back A.J. Hendy turned in a superb performance with an interception and two fumble recoveries to earn the defensive game ball. Hendy’s interception put the Terps up 14-0 after the junior returned it 28 yards for the second Maryland touchdown of the game. Hendy’s interception was the second of his career with both being returned for touchdowns. The Bowie, Md., native picked off his first career pass against NC State on Nov. 26, 2011, an interception he returned 32 yards for a score. For his efforts, Hendy became the first Maryland player to be named The Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week. He also garnered ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors, and was named Jim Thorpe Honorable Mention Defensive Back of the Week and College Football Performance Honorable Mention Defensive Back of the Week.

• The Terps tallied two sacks against the Mountaineers to increase their season total to 17, which is tied for the lead in all of FBS. Defensive linemen Roman Braglio and Darius Kilgo each recorded a sack, while linebacker L.A. Goree led the team with nine tackles, five solo, including one tackle for loss. On the day, Maryland finished with eight tackles for loss led by Kilgo’s two. Adding to the Terps’ turnover total, defensive back Sean Davis and linebacker Matt Robinson each recovered a fumble, and linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil intercepted his first career pass.

• Despite being held to under 500 yards of total offense for the first time this season, quarterback C.J. Brown and the Maryland offense continued to run up the point total. The Terps have totaled 30 or more points in four consecutive games for the first time since the 2002 season. Brown threw for 210 yards (17-of-26) and passed for a touchdown and ran for another. Brown connected with tight end Dave Stinebaugh for the opening score of the game marking Stinebaugh’s first career touchdown reception. Wide receiver Deon Long led the Terps with six catches for 98 yards and running back Brandon Ross rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown.

• Place kicker Brad Craddock connected on all three of his field goal attempts against WVU including a season-long 50 yarder. Craddock, who was named College Football Performance National Placekicker of the Week, leads the ACC with 10 made FGs and is averaging a conference-best 2.5 field goals a game. His lone miss this season came from 52 yards at Connecticut (9/14), which would have tied his career long.

Quick Hitters

• Maryland’s 37-0 shutout victory over West Virginia is the Terps’ first shutout since blanking Wake Forest, 26-0, on Oct. 18, 2008, and is the first time the Terps shutout the Mountaineers since defeating them 33-0 in 1999. Of Maryland’s 22 victories over the Mountaineers, the Terps have held WVU scoreless in five of the contests.

• The Terps stifled the WVU offense holding the Mountaineers to 175 total yards marking the second time in four games the Maryland defense has held its opponent under 200 yards of total offense. In its season opener, Maryland held FIU to 171 total yards (8/31) and now has two of the top-25 defensive performances in terms of yardage. The 171-yard output by the Panthers is the 20th-lowest total nationally amongst FBS schools, while the 175 yards by WVU is the 25th lowest.

• Additionally, after holding West Virginia to 175 yards of total offense, Maryland has now recorded two of the top-10 defensive performances in school history since the 2000 season. FIU’s 171 total yards in the team’s season opener (8/31) is the seventh-lowest total since 2000, while WVU’s 175 total yards is the eighth-lowest total.

• A stout passing defense has keyed the early season success for the Terps. Maryland has held two of their opponents below 100 yards passing this season with the performance against WVU ranking as one of the best in the country. The Terps held West Virginia to 62 passing yards, which is the 19th fewest allowed, and opened the season by holding FIU (Aug. 31) to 80 yards passing.

• The defense has been extremely successfully in getting off the field and getting the ball in the offense’s hands. Maryland ranks ninth nationally in third-down defense holding opponents to a 25.4 percent success rate and has forced 26 three-and-outs. Maryland is averaging 6.5 three-and-outs per game, which is tied for seventh nationally and has forced the opposing offense off the field in three plays or less in 45.6 percent of its defensive possessions, which is the 11th-highest percentage nationally.

• With a string of strong defensive performances to open the season, Maryland is the third-ranked scoring defense in the country holding opponents to 10.3 points per game. That mark is the lowest average for a Maryland defense through four games since the 1980 season when the Terps held their first four opponents to an average of 9.3 points per game (Villianova, 3; Vanderbilt, 6; West Virginia, 11; North Carolina, 17).

• With six takeaways against West Virginia, the Terps increased their season total to 13, which is tied for fifth nationally with four other schools and their eight interceptions are tied for eighth. Maryland has at least two takeaways in every game this season and dating back to last year has recorded at least one takeaway in nine straight games. The six takeaways against the Mountaineers marks the most since the Terps recovered three fumbles and intercepted three passes against Georgia Tech on Oct. 11, 2001.

• Defensive back A.J. Hendy’s 28-yard interception return for a touchdown against West Virginia was Maryland’s second non-offensive touchdown in as many games. The last time Maryland scored a non-offensive touchdown in consecutive games came in 2010. Tony Logan returned a punt for a touchdown against FIU on Sept. 25, and added another punt return for a touchdown the following week against Duke (Oct. 2).

• Hendy and fellow defensive back Dexter McDougle have each returned an interception for a touchdown this season. Since 2009, the Terps have 19 non-offensive touchdowns, that total is the most in the ACC.

• With 37 points against the Mountaineers, the Terps have scored 30 or more points in all four contests this season. The last time the Terps scored 30 or points in four or more consecutive games came in 2002. Maryland topped 30 points in six consecutive games starting with Eastern Michigan (45, 9/21/02) and ending at North Carolina (59, 11/2/02). Maryland is averaging 39.8 points per game placing the Terps in a tie for the 28th-highest scoring offense in the country.

• Quarterback C.J. Brown and the Maryland offense has been attacking defenses down the field. The Terps are averaging 15.3 yards per completion, the 10th-highest total in the country, and Brown is averaging 15.8, best in the ACC and seventh nationally. The 15.3 yards per completion is the highest average for a Maryland offense since 1980.

• Brown’s primary threat downfield has been wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs is averaging a league-high 22.2 yards per catch and for his career is averaging 17.3 yards per reception, the third-highest average among active players in the ACC with a minimum of 30 receptions. In addition, his 22.2 yards per catch average is the fourth highest nationally among receivers with 15 or more catches.

• With 236 yards of total offense against WVU, Brown passed Al Neville (2,734) for 22nd all-time for total offensive yards in a career in Maryland history with 2,754 yards. Brown leads the ACC with 331.5 yards of total offense per game and ranks 12th nationally.

Maryland Gameday Notes

Scout Team Players of the Week: Each Thursday during the season Edsall will announce the scout team players of the week. This week’s scout team players of the week are wide receiver Taivon Jacobs (offense), linebacker Jermaine Carter, Jr. (defense), and long snapper Joe Marchese (special teams).

Flag Bearers: Defensive lineman Keith Bowers will carry the American flag, and running back Kenneth Goins will carry the Maryland flag during Saturday’s introductions.

Game Captains: With the establishment of the leadship council for this season, Edsall will name game captains prior to each contest. The captains for the Florida State game are running back Brandon Ross (offense), defensive back Anthony Nixon (defense), and linebacker Matt Robinson (special teams).

Maryland-Florida State Series History

• Saturday will mark Maryland’s 24th all-time meeting between Maryland and Florida State. The Terrapins trail the all-time series with Seminoles, 2-21, and are 0-11 at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.

• Florida State has won six straight in the series including its defeat of the Terps, 41-14, in College Park last season.

•.Maryland’s last victory over the Seminoles came in 2006. The Terps defeated FSU, 27-24, at Byrd Stadium.

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Kicking It Off: The Terps improved to 4-0 on the season with a 37-0 win over West Virginia. The Mountaineers fell to 2-2. The 37-point margin of victory for Maryland is the second largest for the Terps in the series. The Terps defeated WVU by 47 points (54-7) on Nov. 24, 1951.

Shutout: Maryland’s 37-0 win over WVU is its first shutout since the Terps held Wake Forest scoreless on Oct. 18, 2008. Maryland won the game 26-0. It is Maryland’s first shutout of the Mountaineers since defeating West Virginia 33-0 on Sept. 18, 1999.

Stiff Defense: Maryland held West Virginia to 175yards of total offense. It is the second time this season Maryland has held an opponent under 200 yards of total offense. The Terrapin defense held FIU to 171 yards in the season opener (Aug. 31).

Homecoming: Tight end Dave Stinebaugh, a native of Baltimore, got the Terps on the board first. The senior adjusted to a tipped C.J. Brown pass and hauled it in for his first career touchdown reception to put Maryland up 7-0 in the first quarter. The six-yard touchdown reception capped a three-play, 24-yard drive that began after West Virginia muffed a punt.

Big Totals: Through four weeks this season, Maryland has totaled 30 or more points in all four games. The last time the Terps scored 30 or points in four or more consecutive games came in 2002. Maryland topped 30 points in six consecutive games starting with Eastern Michigan (45, 9/21/02) and ending at North Carolina (59, 11/2/02).

Hendy to the House: Defensive back A.J. Hendy put Maryland up 14-0 a minute later. The junior jumped a Ford Childress pass and returned the interception 28 yards for a touchdown. It was Hendy’s second career interception, both of which have been returned for scores. Hendy notched his first career pick against NC State on Nov. 26, 2011, returning an interception 32 yards for six points.

It is the second consecutive week the Terrapin defense has returned an interception for a touchdown. At Connecticut last week, defensive back Dexter McDougle returned an interception 49 yards for a score.

Plenty of Leg: Place kicker Brad Craddock connected on his eighth field goal of the season to put Maryland up 17-0. Craddock tied his career long by drilling a 52 yarder early in the second quarter. The sophomore also converted a 52-yard field goal against Wake Forest on Oct. 6, 2012. On the season, Craddock is 10-for-11on field goals and entered the contest ranked third in the ACC in scoring averaging 11.3 points per game.

Craddock also connected on field goals from 30 and 36 yards to tie his single-game career-high of three. He hit three fields last Saturday at Connecticut.

Defensive Notes: Maryland forced West Virginia into six turnovers (4 FF, 2 INT). That is the most turnovers created by the Terps since Maryland turned Georgia Tech over six times on Oct. 11, 2001 … Maryland forced three Yellow Jacket fumbles and three interceptions … defensive back A.J. Hendy finished with an interception, which was returned for a 28-yard touchdown, and recovered two fumbles … linebacker L.A. Goree led the Terps with nine tackles, five solo … defensive lineman Roman Braglio had one sack and defensive lineman Darius Kilgo added one as well.